Haunting
by TangerineSlices
Summary: She wasn't crazy, she knew she wasn't. The log pose was fine. Everything was fine. So what if she heard voices, so what if she couldn't tell she was dreaming? They would make it to the island and things would get better. Besides, she had other things to worry about, like what was wrong with her captain.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or claim to own it.

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Have you ever had one of those moments where you wonder how you got yourself in a certain situation where you have no other choice but go through with it? A situation with only one solution or you're dead? A situation where you have to question your sanity on more than one occasion? No? Well a certain navigator of a certain Straw Hate pirate crew has. Many times. You can blame the captain for that.

It was like any other day on the Thousand Sunny. The best friend trio, AKA the sharpshooter, doctor, and captain, were up to their regular antics, the swordsman slept soundly in the corner, and the chef doted on the lovely archeologist and navigator. Of course, the archeologist calmly sipped at her tea and flipped the pages of her book as she chose to ignore the chef's overzealous compliments.

As for the navigator, the heroine of our story, she was fixated on the log pose strapped to her wrist. With three needles now dividing her attention, she had to determine which island would be safest to travel towards. In most crews' cases, they would choose to avoid the more dangerous option. But, knowing the Straw Hat pirates and their luck, no matter what their decision, danger always seemed to find them. After all, they did have an entire ship full of wanted criminals (even if one of them was only worth fifty Beli).

However, it was not the task of watching over the needles that had the navigator so focused. No, it was the needles themselves. One in particular had taken on a peculiar pattern the navigator hadn't seen yet in the short time she had become accustomed to the new log pose. It was behaving as if it were throwing a temper tantrum. In fact, it had no real pattern at all. It spastically flung itself left and right, up and down, and jerked to a stop only to start the process all over again.

She stared at it concernedly, not quite sure if this was just a show of how dangerous this certain island was or if the needle had simply just been busted. If it was the former, all they had to do was hide it from their captain and avoid the island all together. If it was the latter, she hoped to find someone who could repair it at one of the safer islands. The more she observed it, the more she leaned towards the first option.

Then, suddenly, of course, as if the device were being possessed, all three needles began to shake wildly, almost ripping themselves free of the poles that held them. And just to add to the creepiness factor, they began to frantically twist and turn in time, syncing to each other's motions.

Cue panic attack courtesy of the Straw Hats' navigator.

The panic is understandable though you see, for if the log pose was leading to such a threatening island, the crew would either endure a very deadly adventure or just wind up dead entirely. But if the log pose were just completely broken and useless, the crew would be stuck in the middle of the most dangerous ocean in the world left to fend off the perilous dangers of Mother Nature and other possible foes (such as the other supernovas and the marines). Or if they lasted long enough, they would die of starvation and dehydration due to _being in the middle of the ocean._ Naturally this painful process could be prolonged if the captain and chef ever decided to follow up on that old plan to use their doctor as the emergency food supply. But of course the navigator was simply coming up with reasons to panic just to panic at this point.

By the time all these thoughts raced through her mind, her face had become as white as a ghost's, her eyes widened in fear, and beads of sweat formed at her brow, slowly trailing down her face. She began to audibly gasp for breath.

And of course the chef noticed the shift instantly. He became frantic, asking the navigator if she was all right, if she needed help. _What's wrong Nami-swan? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you sick? What's riled you up so badly? Nami-swan what's-_

Maybe, perhaps, if she looked long enough the needles would go back to normal? Maybe the log pose had a fix-it-itself option the guy had simply forgotten to tell her about. Oh, but if it was broken, she could always use an eternal pose. But then again, they didn't have one of those for the New World. _Well, shit._

 _What's the matter Nami-san? Nami-sis? Eh, are you all right? Nami! Oi, Can you hear me? Robin-chawn, do you-_

And that was when things became scary.

Her vision blurred at the edges, sounds became distant and muffled as if she were wearing earplugs made of cotton. She could smell her sweat and felt bile rise to her throat as everything around her became black except for the log pose. It was like she was seeing her arm from another person's perspective. She couldn't move her head no matter how hard she struggled, even her eyes seemed to be glued to the dancing needles. It was almost as if someone were holding her in place.

A faint throbbing began at the back of her head and pulsed its way to the front, wringing out her mind of any capable thought. All she could feel was panic, and fear, and _pain_. _So much pain._ Someone was yanking at her hair, ripping entire chunks from her skull and forcefully shoving their hands inside her brain, kneading at it like dough. Punching it, rolling it, slapping it, shaping it…

She felt a shiver travel down her spine, shaking her to her core. A light giggle lingered by her ear and then another behind her. Then abruptly, a wave of childlike giggles crashed over her, engulfing her with the eerie sounds of childish delight. But there weren't any children on the Thousand Sunny aside from the doctor (who wasn't really a child to begin with). There was no reasonable explanation for this. But they were suffocating her, shoving their way into her mouth, her nose, her ears, her head. Her body shook with the strain of her frozen state. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Couldn't scream.

Then, just like that, they stopped.

She was released.

It felt like the sun had gone out and the world had become an icy wasteland unable to sustain any form of life. She shook and shivered, her body spasming uncontrollably. Her fingers had become icicles, and her hands had turned into snow. Yet despite all that, she was soaked to the bone in sweat and her face felt like the blazing deserts of Alabasta. The sun made its new home where her brain used to be, frying every last ounce of her ability to think.

She was only just vaguely aware of the voices of her crewmates, shouting, frantic. Footsteps. Stomping. Running. Crashing. Echoes, echoes, echoes.

The last thing she heard was her captain's voice and a faint whisper of a giggle.

Haunting.

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Lol so it's been awhile guys. Not much of an excuse other than that i just lost interest and now it's suddenly back? I had a really good map for how this story would play out but...I'm gonna try to finish this guys. I can't make any promises with college, work, life, and all that but I'll try.

I'm trying to rewrite plunge in third person so I have more flexibility with the narrative. I really liked how this came out. Literally re-read the entire thing just last night and rewrote this chapter this morning (at like freaking 3 a.m. I work today too what the heck am I doing?) If you want to know/read more about this story, go ahead and check out Plunge. This is going to follow, roughly, the same story line if not for a few tweaks here and there.

Like always please leave a comment if you noticed any mistakes or have any tips on how to fix OoC-ness (or if you just liked the chapter). Always love to improve on those things. Have a nice day!


	2. Chapter 2

Before she could open her eyes, Nami heard muttering. A conversation perhaps? It was urgent yet quiet and she couldn't understand why her eyes felt so heavy or why her tongue felt so thick. Their whispers were harsh against her ears, buzzing and hissing as the muffled words slipped inside her head. There was a ringing in her right ear.

The air felt cold. Goosebumps rose onto her arms, her legs. Something was restraining her, holding her in place. The goosebumps on her arms only served to further the discomfort of whatever material was covering her. A blanket?

She felt hyperaware of her entire body. Her limbs felt like lead, like they were sinking into an ocean of scratchy fabric. Her heartbeat raced. The blanket scraped against her skin.

This was too much for her too soon. To many sensations attacking her at once. When she tried to sit up, she found herself unable to move. She tried desperately to say something but her throat felt like sandpaper. Where was she, why was she here, who was with her, what happened?

Her heartbeat quickened and she tried to kick off the scratchy blanket covering her. Through her struggle, the whispers grew louder but still she was unable to understand them. They stabbed at her ears now, aiming straight for her brain and sinking themselves into the depths of her mind. Tears stung her eyes. She inhaled sharply.

Everything stopped.

Her body jerked upward, arms flailing, ready to hit whatever had previously been there. All they found was air. She opened her eyes to see she was in the infirmary.

"Nami! You're awake!" The doctor came bounding out of his chair, stumbling over his hooves in his excitement before leaning on the edge of the cot. He looked up at her concernedly, large adorable eyes peering at her with a watery gaze. "Are you feeling better? Any aches? Headaches, nausea, dehydration? You had us so worried when you passed out like that!"

"Oi, Nami. What happened back there?" The captain stood behind the doctor, arms crossed. He looked as if he didn't really know how to feel, his expression stuck between concern for her wellbeing and elation that she was awake.

When she thought about it, Nami realized that she felt nothing like she had just moments ago. No more ringing in her ears, no more immobile limbs, no sandpapery mouth. Nothing. In fact, it felt like she had just had the best nap of her life. It was like she had never experienced that weird second of panic. She wondered if those whispers had belonged to her crewmates or were instead a part of a strange dream. Maybe it had been sleep paralysis?

She looked down at the doctor and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine Chopper, really. I don't really feel anything." She turned towards her captain to reassure him that she was fine. Although, she couldn't really remember what is was she was reassuring him about.

Chopper visibly relaxed for a split-second before immediately donning his 'doctor face' (as the crew liked to call it). "Before you fainted, it seemed like your body went into shock. Shallow breathing," he checked something off on the clipboard in his hands, "rapid pulse, clammy skin, dilated pupils, fever, vomiting, etc." The room was filled with the scratching of his pencil. It felt oddly loud in the silence.

Nami frowned. "Wait…vomiting? Fever? Fainted? Wh-when did this happen again?" She looked between her crewmates trying to understand what was going on. She remembered waking up that morning, eating breakfast, sunbathing with Robin, checking the log pose…

And suddenly the memories came flooding back. The spastic needles, the panic attack, the eerie laughter, blacking out. She sat up straight and looked down at her wrist.

The log pose was completely fine. Each needle twisted and turned to its own rhythm. It was fine. They weren't even moving that quickly either. It was fine. Their movements were rather sluggish to be honest. It was fine. It was fine. _It was fine._

A dark shadow settled over Nami, bathing her in darkness. She looked up to see her captain looking at her weirdly.

"How can't you remember? It just happened today." He brought his hand to her forehead to see if she was still running a fever. "Eh, your head feels fine." He took his hand back to scratch his chin like he was thinking deeply about something. "Maybe you just got stupid?"

She punched him over the head. _"Stupid?!"_

"Cut it out Luffy! Nami can't be exerting herself so soon just after waking up! She has to rest," the doctor scolded. He frantically tried to fight Nami off their captain, using his human form to restrain her.

" _I'm_ stupid?! That's _rich_ coming from the one who can't even tie his own damn shoes!" She struggled against the doctor's grip, snarling in anger. She did not need this argument first thing after waking up.

"You don't need to tie sandals!" Luffy countered, all the while rubbing at the bump forming on his head.

"Guys," the doctor tried weakly to quell their anger.

"You, you, you idiot! You're so childish!" She yelled.

He stuck his tongue out at her. "No I'm not!"

"Come on now guys. It's not that big of a deal!" Chopper tugged Nami away from Luffy and closer towards the cot. She dragged her feet to slow him down. Her heel snagged on one of the floorboards and she nearly tore away from Chopper's grip, but he grabbed her in time before she could even make a fist.

"Yes you are! You steal from everyone's plates, you don't wash your clothes, and you only brush your teeth when we force you to! You're practically a toddler!"

"I know you are but what am I?"

"Enough!" Chopper bellowed. Despite his earlier concerns, he roughly dropped Nami onto the cot and tucker her under the blanket. "You need to rest and save your energy! Even though you may not know the cause of it, you still got sick somehow! And not knowing why can make the situation even more dangerous in some cases!" He then turned towards his captain, now in his regular form. "And you need to stop provoking her! Aggravating her condition can increase the chances of elongating her recovery! We can't afford a sick navigator in the New World!"

Chopper's words stung. She couldn't help but repeat the last part in her head. _Can't afford a sick navigator. Can't afford a sick navigator. Can't afford a sick navigator…_

They both mumbled their apologies, albeit reluctantly.

"I'm sorry Chopper. But I do remember why I fainted now." She lifted her hand up to show them the log pose. "I swear I thought I saw the log pose going berserk. The needles were moving in time and like they were about to be ripped off."

"What?" they both asked. One case in shock, the other in confusion.

"It's fine now," she said hurriedly, "I think I was just under stress from the last island. Mind playing tricks and all!" She tried to laugh it off, but she was still a little shaken by the situation.

"It had to have been a pretty convincing trick to make you pass out like that," Luffy muttered.

"Ah. Yeah, it was… Like I said, I think it's just because of stress." Nami waved her hand as Chopper tried to step closer. "I'm fine now I promise."

"Nami…" he looked at her worriedly. She continued to smile at him. He sighed. "All right, but just in case, I ran a few checkups to see if it was anything environmental related."

"Find anything?"

"Thankfully, no. But I'm still worried and you're still going to rest! If it was stress, then you just need to take a day off and relax. No mapping, no physical labor, nothing that requires too much energy or strains the mind. Okay?"

Nami sighed. "But Ch-"

"Okay?" He pressed.

"Aye, aye captain," Nami said weakly with a mock salute. She knew when to give up.

"Oi," Luffy whined.

Nami winked at him and flashed a triumphant smirk. She had gotten the last laugh.

Luffy glowered at her before turning to Chopper. "So she's all better now?"

"Well, it's hard to say for sure, but she seems fine. But like I said, she stills needs rest."

Nami thought to herself that he was beginning to sound like a broken Den Den Mushi.

"So how long exactly was I out for?" she asked.

Chopper turned back towards her and looked at the clock on the wall. "Um, well. You see…about the entire day?" He said sheepishly.

 _"What?!"_ Nami jumped up out of the cot and wildly dashed towards the door.

"Wait! Nami!"

She was out the door and racing up the steps in a matter of seconds, observing the ship's relation to the needle that they were following. She couldn't believe the sun was all ready setting. It had only been ten in the morning when she fainted. _What the Hell is this?!_

Even with just a quick glance she knew that they had strayed _way_ off course. She cursed to herself and looked around the deck for someone to help right the ship.

In the corner of her eye she saw a smudge of pink, black, and blue. On the stairs, the shipwright and musician were accompanying each other. If she strained her ears hard enough over the shipwright's off-key what she hoped he didn't call 'singing, ' she could vaguely make out the melody of "Bink's Sake." It was a somewhat odd contrast what with the musician's classic violin and the shipwright's contemporary guitar. It wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't exactly the most amazing thing either.

"Franky! Brook!" She called.

"Oh, Nami-sis!" The shipwright leaned his guitar against the railing and stood up. "Are you feeling better?"

"You know, we all nearly fainted ourselves along with you," the musician interjected.

She walked over to them, noting that at some point someone had taken off her shoes. The blades of grass rustled under the soles of her feet as she made her way over. "I'm fine now guys, thanks for worrying. But can I get one of you to help me steer the ship? We got off course some time ago and we need to straighten it out."

"Oh yeah, sure thing!"

She gave them the direction to turn and the amount that they should move by before the shipwright picked up his guitar and began the chorus of "Bink's Sake" again. Brook followed in suit. He bowed deeply at her before stating that he would see the navigator and her panties when she was in better health. Before she could respond, both he and the shipwright were dancing their way up the stairs.

"Like Hell you will!" She shouted after them, fist in the air. "Honestly," she huffed.

Nami flinched when the door to the galley slammed open. Out came the chef and swordsman bursting through the doorway and crashing down the steps as they wrestled each other. Foaming at the mouths, both shouted at each with such venom even she was taken aback. If she looked closely, she could see the chef dripping from head to toe with suds seeping into his dress shirt. He looked like a drowned rat but with bubbles.

"Marimo, you bastard! You did that on purpose!" The chef was red in the face and mad as a hornet as he dodged and kicked at the swordsman.

"Oi, stupid, how many times do I have to explain?! I wasn't anywhere near you!" He brought his swords up to block the blazing foot coming for his face. He quickly ducked and slashed at the back of the chef's knee. Before he could land a hit however, the chef had quickly jumped out of the way.

"You're a shitty liar, dumbass! You were the only one in the kitchen!" He dodged another blade before aiming at the swordsman's hip.

 _"I'm not lying!"_ Although he was claiming to not have done anything, Nami couldn't help but notice the slight satisfied smirk on his face. He was definitely enjoying seeing the chef all wound up.

This time, the force of both their attacks sent them flying backwards, one into the railing and the other into the lawn chairs. It was the sight of seeing her beloved lawn chair shattered into pieces that finally got her to take action.

Before anything else had the chance of being destroyed, Nami marched over to them with angry footsteps. First, she went to the swordsman, fist landing on his head so hard it made a satisfying crack. Then she stomped towards the chef, dragging the swordsman by the ear on her way, and gave him the same treatment with no hesitation.

"Hey! What's going on down there?" Franky hollered from the upper deck, leaning over the railing to get a better view.

"These morons got into another fight again," Nami called out. "Don't worry, I've already handled it."

When she turned back around to the guilty party, she heard a quiet whisper of 'Nami-sis is scary' and an 'agreed' above her. She shook her head and focused her glare back and the swordsman and chef.

"What was that for, witch?" The swordsman hissed through his teeth as he rubbed at the bump developing on the back of his head.

"Don't talk to Nami-swan that way, moss head!"

"I'll talk to her how I want to talk to her, moron."

"Directionless dimwit."

"What was that, dart-brow?" He reached for his swords.

"All right, that's enough." She smacked them both upside the head. "What happened this time?"

"Ero-cook over here wasn't looking at what he was doing and got himself wet."

"I told you already that I was away from the sink when _you_ hosed me down with the damn faucet!"

"I wasn't in the kitchen! I was in the dining hall."

"Then why am I fucking wet?"

"How the Hell am I supposed to know?!"

the navigator stepped between them knowing well that another fight would start at any moment if she let this continue. There was no talking things out with these two. It was only fight or forget. Yeesh.

"Jeez, cut it out already! Sanji-kun, go to the bath and clean yourself up. Zoro, go to the crow's nest and do guard duty. The sun's already set and it's your turn anyway." They tried to argue but she wouldn't let them. "Now! And I mean it. Unless you want to add another bump to your collection?" She raised her fist and gave them a sickeningly sweet smile.

They scrambled away, off to their separate destinations, not even bothering to look back at each other. _Honestly, why couldn't those two just get along?_

When she looked skyward, she couldn't help but feel slightly surprised to see that the sun actually _had_ gone down. The moon was already in the sky with the first few stars shining their way through the clouds. Unbelievable. She had wasted her entire day sleeping and now she had to do it all over again.

Making her way to towards the girls' quarters, Nami was suddenly struck with and odd feeling. She turned to looked behind her to see if anyone was lingering around but found no one on the main deck. Goosebumps rose to her skin. She quickened her pace and made a beeline straight for the stairs. She had had enough for the day.

A thought came to the front of her mind and she realized that neither Chopper nor Luffy had come down from the infirmary. Not even after all the noise her two idiot crewmates had made.

 _What could they possibly be doing?_

She felt a cool breeze behind her and turned again to see if maybe they had finally come out. However, once again the deck was empty. She hurried up the last few stairs and practically jogged her way to the door. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

When she reached for the doorknob, she heard it. The softest breath of a whisper. A giggle. Nami quickly grabbed the doorknob, flung the door open, and slammed it behind her.

She could still hear it.

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lol this entire chapter is pretty much dialog. Remember when I said I was gonna need help for that? Well here's the evidence. Yikes.

Anywho, next chapter is gonna have more action in it hopefully. And by action I mean more story and less dialog. Maybe.

As always, feel free to tell me how you felt about this chapter and if you have any suggestions for Ooc-ness etc. etc.


	3. Chapter 3

The room was dark, even with a single desk lamp illuminating what little it could. Papers were strewn about the room, scattered and banished to every shadowy corner. Ripped, torn, crumpled. Muddy footprints caked the floors, sloppy toes and heels found their way onto shards of glass and barren notebooks.

Shattered beakers lay at the base of a desk, jagged shards scattered throughout the room. Foaming substances oozed out of fallen test tubes, stethoscopes were tangled with syringes; needles were haphazardly thrown about, sinking between the cracks.

The vague shapes of a human figure and a deer were coated in shadows. The human hunched over its knees, perched on the shredded medical bed. The deer paced on its hind legs, fur rustling the papers left on the desk. The air was tense, the atmosphere ominous.

"You saw her, right?" The deer questioned.

"Yes."

"She has finally heard us."

"She has."

"Our message reached her."

"No, not quite. It seems she couldn't understand."

"I was at my strongest. The message should have delivered clearly."

" _Clearly,_ something went wrong."

"But the message was so simple!"

The human straighten. "Something must be interfering."

"Like what?"

"She doesn't want to believe what is happening to her. She is _refusing_ to see it."

The deer paused. "We'll need to convince her. But how?"

"Leave it to me."

The human slowly rose from the cot, stepping into the dim light. Its eyes were hidden by the brim of a withering straw hat, a scar stretched under the left eye. The mouth curved into a frown. When it lifted its head, it revealed the face of a man, angular yet soft, still young. He placed his callused hand onto the desk, eyes searching among the few remaining undamaged papers. When he found something, he dragged his fingers to it and pointed at a certain line scribbled on the page.

"This," he said as he brought it to the deer. "This shall do."

"We agreed that that plan would not suffice. It would discourage her more than persuade her."

"We have only _just_ managed to reach her despite our other attempts. Do you have any other ideas? I will gladly listen to them."

The deer closed the distance between itself and the human. It stepped into the light, the antlers on its head revealing it to be a male reindeer. He reached for the paper and reread the words over and over. His brows furrowed in concentration.

"How could this possibly bring her to us? She'll be too frightened. At the very least, confused."

"She'll have no other choice."

"What do you plant to do?"

"You'll see." A smile crept onto the man's face, distorting his features into a ghostly appearance.

The light flickered.

Darkness flooded the room.

* * *

Nami woke with a start. Her chest heaved as she panted, sweat trickled down her brow.

The feelings of terror and foreboding lingered despite the fact that she couldn't remember what it was that could have possibly frightened her awake. She brought a hand up to wipe her forehead. She released a shaky breath, trying to bring her breathing back to its regular rate. _What was that about?_

Slowly, she took a look around the room. A desk, a clock, a chair. She was in the infirmary. On the opposite side of the ship from the women's quarters. In the middle of the night —she looked up at the clock— at precisely 2 o'clock in the morning.

 _What am I doing here?_

Nami could have sworn that she had gone to bed. She remembered because she had changed into her nightclothes, loudly humming to herself to shake off her unease from earlier. As soon as she had gone towards the vanity, the giggling had stopped all together. Her bed had been calling her regardless of the fact that she had slept most of the day. She changed, she got into bed, she slept. Simple as that.

With limbs feeling as if they were suddenly made of cement, Nami had to struggle to sit up completely. For whatever reason, she was in the infirmary and she had to get out. No matter what was happening to her at the moment, the blanket wouldn't protect her.

It was like time had slowed down as she brought her hand up to brush her hair back. Her movements were sluggish. She had to fight hard to kick the blanket off of her.

When she looked up, after her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she realized that Chopper was hunched over his desk. If she looked closely she could see that he had had several papers he was working on, pens scattered all over the desk. The lamp was off.

 _He's asleep. Did he bring me here?_

She had to drag her legs over the mattress to drop her feet to the ground. Her limbs were like deadweights. _Seriously, this is getting old!_

Her soles touched down on the chilled wood of the floorboards, freezing her in place. She shivered from the cold. She struggled to her feet, hands supporting her on the cot, and pushed up and straightened…only to fall.

Hard.

Her body slid sideways as she furiously clawed for the cracks in the floor. Her back hit the wall with a dull thud, her nails bleeding and her body bruised.

The room was tilted.

 _It's sideways! What the Hell?!_

She looked over to see the doctor still sleeping at his desk. Despite the wheels of his swivel stool, he was still in place. Not to mention that the books and files on the cabinet shelves hadn't budged in the slightest. It was as if gravity had no affect on anything but her. She felt her heartbeat quicken. _What's wrong with me?_

"Close your eyes," the doctor mumbled in his sleep.

"…What?" She asked. He couldn't possibly be awake. He was sleeping. If he were awake, he would be reacting to this situation a lot more than she was. He had to be sleep talking. He _had_ to be.

"Close your eyes. Go to sleep."

Nami stared at his still figure. When in the world did Chopper sleep talk? And even if he did from the beginning, wasn't it supposed to sound more garbled than clear? This made no sense.

The more she stared, the darker the room became and the harder it became to make out his figure. No matter how hard she squinted or how many times she shook her head, his body just grew blurrier and blurrier. She sank her head into her hands and tried to count backwards from ten to calm herself.

"Only the beginning," he sighed. "…More…close your eyes."

She couldn't make out the last couple words despite the crippling silence of the room. She strained her ears and waited for him to say more, but nothing came. He was silent.

"What do you mean?" She asked, trying to understand what was going on. She knew that people could reply when they slept talk, she had done do it with Zoro all the time. Even Luffy if she ever found the chance.

He didn't reply. Nami frowned.

"You're a wonderful doctor, the best I've ever had." Usually a compliment would get a rise out of him in some way and yet, nothing.

Nami growled in frustration. Fine. If he didn't want to answer, whatever. It wasn't her problem. She would just go back to her room and enjoy the nice warm comfort of _her_ blanket and pillow. The doctor could stay in the infirmary for all she cared. It was harsh but she was too scared and frustrated to care at the moment.

She struggled to her feet, legs wobbling and knees knocking as she pushed herself upwards. It was like she was moving through molasses; her legs were so slow and heavy. Her breaths were rapid and shallow and she might as well had been running a marathon with how hard her body was working against the gravity of the room and the tilt of the floor. But somehow (miraculously, she thought), she just barely made it to the cot…where she then decided that the women's quarters was an impossible goal.

She flopped herself onto the bed and rolled to her side. Sluggishly, she tugged the blanket over her shoulders and let her breathing return to its normal rate. Despite how tired she was, she couldn't stop her mind from racing and thinking about what Chopper had said to her. _Only the beginning…_

Sure he had been sleep talking, but from what she could recall, he never did that often and when he did do, it was usually to complain about the others being too loud.

 _What did he mean? Did he mean me about sleeping in the infirmary? Was my earlier episode bad enough to actually need Chopper monitoring me when I sleep? Or did he mean Franky's need to redesign the ship so it wasn't so fucking topsy-turvy? And what the Hell was that 'more' supposed to mean? More what? More medicine? More sleep? More food? Ah, then again, he isn't Luffy…_

At this point, Nami wasn't taking the situation seriously anymore. She was tired, she was exhausted, she was sweaty, and she just wanted to go to sleep.

And yet…

When she closed her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to, she couldn't fall asleep to save her life. She couldn't explain what it was exactly, but something felt off. Not the room exactly, they had been through several rough waves to cause the ship to tilt in that way before. But it was like everything was in its place except for something, just one little thing that wasn't. Something important.

She kept her eyes shut tight and tried to calm her racing heart. She was getting anxious again as she felt her stomach drop and body shake. Deep breaths. In and out. She decided to focus on something, a quiet sound to lull her to sleep. Something constant.

You know that sound you hear when everything is silent? The airy sound of your blood rushing through your ears? That sound when there is absolutely no sound at all? That was what she heard. However, in most cases, the ship was loud by default and she very rarely heard this sound. If at all.

When one lives on a ship, especially with a crew like the navigator's, there was constant sound. Whether it be waves, birds, creaking floorboards, or laughter, there was always _something_.

Shoulders rigid and hands clutching the blanket, Nami felt on edge. This wasn't normal for her. The ship was always loud, at least at night they could rely on the waves to create some sort of noise. But there was nothing. Something was wrong.

She tried to zero in on Chopper instead. Another living thing in the room, something comforting. Breathing.

But she couldn't hear it.

A squeaked escaped her mouth as she curled into herself. She threw the blanket over her head and shook.

Did the room feel colder?

"Just sleep," he whispered. It was soft but she could hear it so clearly, as if he were whispering right into her ear. Like he was standing over her.

She couldn't figure out for the life of her why she was so afraid of her crewmate. After all, he was the cutest most innocent person she knew. And yet, in that moment, he wasn't.

She peaked out from the covers to see if he was there next to her, but all she saw was darkness, even darker than it had been before.

"Close your eyes." His voice was gentle.

"But—"

" _Sleep."_

Everything relaxed. The air was light. Nami's eyes grew heavy and drooped shut.

"Dream." A soft whisper.

She smiled.

* * *

The tangerine groves of the Cocoyashi village were truly a sigh to behold. With thriving trees full of lush leaves and juicy tangerines, it was almost like a mini paradise hidden in the corner of the village. Many of the villagers had claimed that even the smallest hint of the citrusy scent caused their mouths water, instantly making them crave their village's famed fruit. It truly was the pride of Cocoyashi.

Nami found herself humming quietly as she plucked the fruit from the tree. It was early morning, the sun only midway in the sky and casting a soft shade of orange over the grove. She couldn't help but smile as she noticed the orange light made the tangerines look all the more tasty.

The air was warm, only a slight breeze. She plopped another tangerine into the basket, wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her wrist. A tad warm to be picking but she didn't mind. It was nice to be like this, birds chirping in the distance, cicadas whirring in the background. It was calming, a good way to clear her thoughts after a weird dream.

"Nami-san."

She turned to see her sister, Nojiko, walking towards her, two full baskets hanging from her arms. Her expression was worried. That was odd.

"Yeah?"

"Nami-san," she said more firmly, raising her voice a little louder. She was only standing a few feet away from her now.

 _Why's she raising her voice?_

"What? What is it?"

"It's time to wake up now," she said, dropping a basket to the ground before gently shaking her sister's shoulder.

"I am," she said confused.

"Nami-san, you missed breakfast."

 _Nami-san…? Why is she being so formal? No one calls me that._

The world began to shift, trembling slightly. The morning sky melted slowly into the tangerine trees, turning the ground into a puddle of liquid fire. The tangerines transformed into sparks, the sky became black.

Standing in from of her was a woman with strikingly black hair and eyes the color of twilight. The fire licked at the woman's skirt, its hungry fingers illuminating her face. Her eyes were the wisest Nami had ever seen, seemingly older than time itself. The corner of her mouth tipped upwards slightly. The woman took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her gently.

"Sweet dreams," she whispered into her ear.

Nami opened her eyes to find the archeologist leaning over her, hand resting on her shoulder. She appeared concerned for the navigator, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Good morning, Nami-san." She took her hand back as she took a step away from Nami's bed, small smile forming on her face.

Nami yawned as she sat up. Stretching her arms over her head and cracking her back as she replied. "Good morning, Robin. How long was I asleep for?"

She looked around the room and noted she was in the women's quarters. For some reason this realization felt odd. Maybe it had been her dream from just now throwing her off, after all she hadn't dreamt of her village in quite a while. But still she couldn't shake the feeling.

"Hm, long enough I suppose. You missed breakfast."

And then it hit her. Had last night been apart of her strange dream too? Had she really been in the infirmary? But it had felt too real to be something like a dream. She'd have to check with the doctor on whether these dreamlike states were normal.

She shook her head. "Huh?"

"You missed breakfast," Robin repeated.

"I did?"

"Yes. And it's surprising too, they were much louder than usual this morning."

Well, that was strange. Her brows furrowed at the thought. She could barely handle all the racket when she was awake, let alone sleeping.

Noticing the younger girls worry, the archeologist made an attempt at cheering her crewmate up. "Don't worry. It may be that you are simply developing a sleeping disorder."

As previously stated, it was an attempt, albeit not a very good one. But for the archeologist, this _was_ one of her tamer jokes.

"Ah, well, thanks Robin…"

She nodded and made for the door. "I'll let you get ready then. If you need me I'll be on the lower deck."

Nami sat there for a minute, allowing herself to wake up fully before getting up to start her morning routine. Settling on a pair of shorts and tank top, she quickly threw them on before heading towards the vanity where she ran her brush through her hair and hummed quietly to herself. It had gotten rather long over the past few years she realized. Sometimes she'd have to brush several areas repeatedly to get rid of all the knots. Although it was a bit of a nuisance, she adored the volume and fluffy curls.

Sitting there, she thought on how she could swing by the infirmary and see if maybe the floor had collapsed somehow or if it had simply been a wave that rocked the boat. In any case, she could ask the shipwright about it or the doctor. If she had experienced that, surely they must have as well.

Absentmindedly, she put her hair up into a quick, simple high ponytail, fingers delicately looping her hair through the hair tie. She checked her reflection to make sure that she hadn't done it up crookedly. She turned her head side-to-side and smiled. Satisfied, she beamed at her reflection and it winked at her.

 _Ha. My reflection winked back at me…_

 _Wait._

She rubbed her eyes and leaned forward, studying her image. She tilted her head to the right. Left. Up. Down. The mirror copied her movements exactly. Sighing in relief, she leaned back momentarily before she stood up from the cushioned seat. Just her imagination. She was sick, she had been sleeping a lot, her body was just tired, it was no big deal. She was fine.

She was fine.

When she reached the door, she became aware of how silent the room was. Yet, there was this one thing that was slowly growing louder and louder. She jerked her hand from the doorknob when she recognized it.

 _Heehee!_

A snicker. A childish snicker.

Suppressing the urge to run away and determined to put an end to this, she turned around abruptly, eyes searching for the source. Nothing. She looked at the mirror and froze.

There she was, her reflection loosely holding a worn map in one hand and clutching an aging book to her chest in the other. She was caked in mud. Any bit of skin showing was colored a deep blue and purple, bruised from head to toe. Fresh scrapes formed on her knees and scratches covered her arms and face. A deep gash ran from her upper thigh to her knee, oozing blood down her leg.

Her reflection looked directly at her, mouthing something. Its eyes were so serious and so tired Nami almost felt the weight it must be bearing on her _own_ shoulders.

…She sprinted out the door and down the steps so quickly she nearly tripped all the way down. She hadn't even bothered to close the door.

Manners be damned.

Feet slapping against the grass and head lowering as she plowed her way through her fears and racing heart, she nearly slammed into the sharpshooter and archeologist. Robin sprouted several limbs to catch the navigator as she tumbled forward, Nami almost snagging the rope of the swing with her right hand as she fumbled for balance. She collided with the arms before they stilled her and slowly lowered her to the deck, hitting the grass with a dull thud.

"My, my." Robin's eyebrows rose slightly in amusement.

"What's got you in a hurry?" the sharpshooter asked, annoyed about being nearly landed on.

"I-um, it was nothing! I just saw a bug was all," she lied as she sat up and dusted her arms. She rested her hand over her heart and slowed her breathing. She glanced behind her at the open door. Nothing.

"Oh! What kind?" Stars shined in his eyes as he leaned around her, wanting to see the bug for himself.

"I don't know. A big, gross, ugly kind," she huffed, exasperated. Who cared about bugs anyway? They were a nuisance and small and gross and annoying and gross and they crawled over everything and they were gross and ugly…and gross! Besides, that wasn't the most important thing at the moment. Her reflection…

"Sounds like it could belong to several species. Perhaps a cockroach?" Robin tucked her feet under her as she leaned forward, taking interest into Nami's fear of insects.

"Oh, maybe a beetle!" The sharpshooter blurted.

"Hercules beetle?" Robin thought aloud, finger daintily tapping her chin.

Nami's brow furrowed as she bit her fingernail. What could have possibly caused her reflection to move?

"Ooh, dung beetle?"

"Stag beetle perhaps?"

"Scarab!"

 _It couldn't be because I was tired. I had slept for at least 20 hours._

Robin turned to the sharpshooter, palm in hand as she leaned on her knees, a glint in her eye. "Cowboy."

"Rhinoceros!" He leaned towards her.

"Whirligig."

 _But there's no other way to explain it. Unless it was a devil fruit? But no one said anything about any intruders onboard…_

"Rainbow leaf…" The sharpshooter squinted.

"Jewel."

"Trout-stream."

"Sun."

"Riffle." He placed his hands on his knees, leaning forward slightly.

Nami looked up to realize the two had started a game. She may have rolled her eyes, but she couldn't quite shake her uneasiness.

"Green tiger."

"Ant."

"Pill."

"…Strawberry seed," he said slowly.

"Ladybird." Robin smiled faintly.

"P-plum!" The sharpshooter squeezed the fabric bunched at his knees in concentration, knowing he could lose at any moment.

"Wasp nest."

"Uh…tortoise?"

"Rosemary."

"Er…uh…c-celery…!"

Robin smirked. "Long nosed Weevil."

"Oi!" The sharpshooter stood up so suddenly he nearly knocked Nami over with his elbow.

"Watch it!" she hissed. She couldn't believe she had let them continue the stupid game. It was obvious Robin would have won anyway.

Robin chuckled at the anger on his face.

"I'll have you know that those beetles are a fine specimen! They are very majestic and noble and have an _extremely_ touching story!"

Letting the sharpshooter continue on his spiel, Nami shook her head and turned towards Robin ready to tell her 'now she'd done it,' but stopped when she noticed the book in her lap.

"'The Complete Guide to plumbing?'" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, there apparently seem to be some issues with the ship's plumbing." She lifted the book up to show her the page she was on. "Apparently neither party was at fault last night."

"Oh, you heard that?"

"Who couldn't at that hour?"

The sharpshooter's story continued onwards now onto the part about the daring quest the beetle had had to face in order to reclaim its honor. The poor fallen hero had to face countless tests and perilous journeys just to be recognized as the honorable bug that it was.

"Ah well, I hadn't seen anyone else on the deck afterwards, I just assumed you were sleeping."

"Attempting," she shrugged. "Your humming didn't help either."

"Sorry. So, why are you reading about plumbing and not Franky?"

"I was reading out loud to Usopp in order for him to work on the simpler tasks and Franky could work on the major issu— "

"Hey! Don't just ignore me, you're missing the best part!" Usopp shouted as he stomped his foot. "The great mighty beetle is struggling with the death of his loyal companion!"

"Oh, how tragic," Robin sighed.

"Truly a shame," Nami added.

"Exactly!" He cleared his throat and continued. "And so, the great mighty beetle clung onto his friend's shaking shoulders…"

Nami turned back towards Robin. "When did it start happening?"

"Hmm, about the time you fainted." The odd glint in her eye unsettled Nami.

"Was it the sink again?" She asked hesitantly, attempting to ignore the odd feeling in her gut.

"Well, what happened w—"

"You should have seen it!" Usopp suddenly jumped in, dropping his story when he realized that neither one of his crewmates was willing to listen.

Robin glared at him, unhappy with being interrupted for the second time.

"The sink had exploded, submerging the entire kitchen, causing both Sanji and Franky to make a mad dash towards the leaking stairs. And me, being the Great Warrior of the Sea that I am, I charged after them, ready to help them should the door burst open and flood the stairway. Luckily when it did, I was there to—"

"The sink was clogged," Robin cut in.

"That's weird." Nami frowned.

"You're telling me! I though Sanji knew how to swi—"

"Yes. Normally if there is a problem, it only happens once," Robin interrupted.

Usopp huffed and crossed his arms.

"It's weird for it to happen in the same place too," Nami added.

He took the chance to add his own opinion on the situation and claimed, "Looks to me like we might have a bad situation on our—"

"That's another reason why I was reading this. I'm looking for useful information, maybe something that may explain why these issues are reoccurring."

"Wouldn't want another surprise. I definitely don't want to end up like Sanji-kun," Nami said as she shook her head.

Usopp snickered. "Yeah, he looked like a wet dog he was so—"

"Lunchtime my lovely angelic beauties!" The chef singsonged.

All three turned to see Sanji twirling his way over to the swing set, only having eyes for the women in the corner by the stairs.

"What about me?!" Usopp shouted.

"You can eat shit for all I care." He grimaced.

Usopp huffed and grumbled as he made his way to the door, pushing Sanji out of the way, with Nami and Robin following behind him.

If Nami listened closely, she could hear the growing sounds of a roaring stampede following close behind. Lunch was going to be as loud as usual she concluded. Maybe just busy enough that she could be left alone with her thoughts. She needed to come up with some answers.

* * *

Do you know how many beetles I had to look up for this?! TOO MANY.

Anyway, sorry this took so long to upload. College is kicking my butt. Ha ha (send help). I kinda combined like two chapters and cut away one entirely. idk if I'll combine other chapters, but at the moment, it doesn't look like it. Oh and does anyone know how Robin addresses the crew? I can't find anything. I just need to know if she uses honorifics or if she just uses their names only now. (so like Usopp instead of Usopp-san/longnose-kun)

Hope you guys liked this chapter. As always please feel free to tell me what you thought of it and what needs fixing. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

The last few days had been increasingly…uneventful for the navigator. And that worried her. The giggles weaved their way throughout the little pockets of time she found for herself, resting in her lounge chair, working on a map, pruning her trees, just little moments. But nothing like the incident with her reflection. And _nothing_ like with the log pose. Why had these moments suddenly stopped? Where had they gone? _What had caused them in the first place?_

Not that she was complaining of course. She would take this small victory. After all it had helped her become more productive in a way. Her determination to finish her maps had increased, she was more in tune with the weather, more focused on the direction of the ship. If anything, this little blip of terror had only forced her to get better at her job. The Straw Hats could always benefit from a tiny upgrade. All in all, if the giggles were the only side effect she had to deal with, she would take it.

But of course, as fate would have it, that was not the only side effect. However, the navigator wasn't quite aware of the fact quite yet. It _had_ only been two days since she saw her reflection speaking to her. But, alas…

Fatigue is a nasty thing.

She couldn't figure out for the life of her why she was always so tired in the mornings. She had a full eight hours of sleep. She only ever had one cup of coffee in the mornings. She ate balanced meals, the chef had made sure of that, and—aside from two nights prior—she consistently went to bed at a set schedule. On occasion, she caught herself nodding off only to jerk her head back up and shake it to keep herself awake.

She had assumed (hoped really) it was because she had thrown her sleep cycle off and that perhaps it was just trying to reset itself. Despite her attempts, it was just taking a little while for it to settle. A completely separate case from the giggling.

She hadn't connected the dots.

* * *

When lunch came, Nami realized that it was just a tad louder than usual. With her captain drumming on the table in a rhythmless mess of shouting and banging and the sharpshooter's complaints about the rattling dishes, it was fairly normal noise-wise. Yet, in spite of all the noise, it was still _louder_ somehow. Nami shook her head as she took the seat across from Luffy.

Once the chef had finished placing the food in the center of the table, everyone took what they wanted with the exception of the captain who had grabbed at the food when the chef's back was turned. But still, despite having first dibs, the captain still tried for the others' plates. The doctor protested, the musician laughed, and the shipwright encouraged.

Why was it so loud?

The navigator ground her teeth in concentration as she tried to pinpoint what exactly was making the noise. She felt it in her entire body that something was off. It was like her soul was buzzing inside of her, warning her of _something_ but she didn't _know_ what that _something_ _was_. It made her blood feel cold.

"Nami-swan, Robin-chwan, I do hope you enjoy your meal. I made it with all the love from my heart!" Sanji sang and twirled as he poured the drinks into the girls' cups.

White noise. That's what it was. Static. Like when the signal on the Den Den Mushi goes out. But it wasn't just that. Mumbling. Like in a crowded restaurant and you can't really understand the other tables' conversations but you can hear the rise and fall of their voices.

Nami shook her head and swatted at her ear. Of course she'd be hearing conversations, she was at the dinner table! _Don't be stupid. Get your head together. You've been doing so well, it must be because you're tired._

"It's quite good Sanji," Robin smiled, a sprouted hand smacking one of Luffy's hands into Nami's plate. He managed to take a slice of ham before she could focus enough on the situation to stop him.

"Why thank you my darling angel! Everything I cook is for the sake of your enjoyment. And you, Nami-swan?" He turned to look at Nami, only to realize her attention was directed elsewhere.

She glared at her captain with enough intensity that he should have at least turned towards her. But he was avoiding her gaze either from fear or obliviousness. She wasn't quite sure which. Either way the reason wasn't important.

She flung a spoon at his face.

Bullseye.

Nami laughed as he stared at the spoon in confusion, not quite sure what to do with it, he had had his eyes on Zoro's plate. He snapped his head towards her when he heard her laugh. He pouted. Then he stuck his tongue at her and sent the spoon back her way. She caught it smoothly.

A few giggles had joined in as she felt the last of her laughter fading. She shuddered and tried her best to tune them out by focusing on Robin beside her.

She heard a cough to her left and turned her head sharply.

"Nami-swan?" the chef asked in concern.

Thinking he was still asking about the food, Nami assured him that it was delicious. Although he smiled and gushed over her compliment, the concern on his face was still there. The entire table was keeping a careful eye on her, though she wasn't aware of that fact.

The room was slowly filling up with the sounds of a busy restaurant, people laughing from several tables away, muttered conversations of couples passing by, the sounds of silverware scraping against glass, waiters and waitresses cursing under their breath, whispered secrets, menus folding and unfolding. She heard a breathless laugh coming from the same area as the cough. She looked and saw no one but it hadn't unnerved her. The laugh was different from the giggles in a way. Though similar in the same whispery tone, it felt more genuine. More heartfelt than mocking.

She turned back towards her crew, her eyes suddenly catching on Usopp and Chopper as they drummed out a rhythm simultaneously. In front of her, Luffy tried to mimic them, his since of rhythm slightly off. She heard anther cough to her right but when she looked Robin was drinking her wine as she watched. Her smile was small but the warmth in her eyes calmed Nami. Everything was fine. Her crew was having fun and they were _happy._ That was all that mattered. She let out a slow breath and leaned back in her chair.

Luffy had managed to lose his grip on his fork, sleek silver soaring through the air behind him and straight into one of the larger pots. One of the larger pots that just so happened to be floating. Floating above the counter top. Above the counter top in mid air with nothing beneath it. Nothing beneath it as in there was nothing holding it up. Nothing holding it up as in _it. Was. Floating._

It made small _tink_ as it gently settled onto the counter where it sat there innocently as if it hadn't just been casually meandering about in the air. _The little shit._

 _Oh God._ Nami's face went pale as she clutched her head. She did not just see that. That did not just happen. She was _not_ crazy. She was just sleep deprived. Simple as that. Nothing else. She was not losing her grip on reality.

Luffy and Chopper were looking up as if the fork would fall back into Luffy's hand out of thin air. They must not have realized it was sent backwards into the floating pot. _The fucking floating pot._

 _Fuck._

Franky said something form the far end of the table, trying to get the two's attention, but Nami hadn't heard what. Her ears were buzzing. The white noise was getting worse. She couldn't have been the only one who saw that. Well she could have if she was sleep deprived. Just in case, she stole a glance at Robin to see if there had been any reaction. She was elegantly bent over her plate, in the middle of bringing the fork to her mouth when she glanced back. Her face was unreadable, uncharacteristically closed off. Well, maybe not _uncharacteristically._

Robin paused. "Yes, Nami-san?"

"Did you see…?" She trailed off unable to finish her sentence. She couldn't risk sounding crazy.

"See what?"

Robin would never admit to it.

Nami shook her head as she lowered her eyes. "Never mind."

Noise was beating at her eardrums now, painfully banging and smashing against the sensitive tissue. A high-pitched note ringed in her left ear. It felt like the world was spinning. She looked frantically to see if anyone was messing with the Den Den Mushi but it was still tucked away in its own little corner. She rubbed at her temples, trying to will the noise away, to make it _stop._ Conversations were becoming clearer. The muttering turned into shouting. Excited laughter. No. Giggles.

The only people at the table actively making noise were Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper but Nami couldn't hear what they were saying for the life of her. A large crash echoed in the kitchen. She snapped her eyes to the pot, but it sat exactly where it had been earlier. Nothing around it had moved either. She looked back at her crew but they acted as if they hadn't heard anything.

The conversations turned into laughter. Awful, ugly laughter. Loud. Mocking. It suffocated her. She couldn't breath no matter how much air she sucked into her lungs. And despite all her effort, no matter how hard she squeezed her hands to her ears, the sound wouldn't _die._

Everyone was silent save for her captain who was smiling about _something._ No one noticed her as she was slowly drowning.

Tears pricked her eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. Her whole body writhed, exhausted and strained and so, so tired. At any moment her brain would melt through her ears if she didn't press hard enough. She kept her hands clamped tight so her brain couldn't get the chance to escape.

Then suddenly there was a loud _'Shh!'_

And everything went silent.

But the ringing hadn't stopped. When Nami opened her eyes, the room was a mix of colors and motion. Blurry. Unfocused. Across from her, Luffy sat transparent like a stained glass window. Colors she could see through.

Someone called her name. It was faint, so, so quiet. Like someone was waking her from a dream. But it wasn't gentle. It wasn't warm. It was desperate.

The edges of her vision began to blacken. In a matter of seconds all she could see were the eyes of her captain. But they weren't his. They were a frightening electric blue. A stranger's.

She fainted.

* * *

It was storming outside the mouth of the cave, rain slapping against the weathered rock, wearing it down to something as smooth as carved stone. Thunder bellowed overhead, rocking the cavernous walls. Just ahead, flashes of lighting cast harsh shadows. Their greedy fingers reached past the gaping mouth and deep into the cave's throat.

A lone figure stood perched at the very edge, hooves a mere few inches from an impending demise. A reindeer. And yet its fur was dry as bone, the rocky floor beneath it bare. It watched the raging storm with dead eyes, gaze unwavering as it looked up and beyond.

A flash of lighting illuminated the eerily silent cave. Small, dingy, cold, ominous, as if it were waiting for something. The shadows casted off the ridges curled and slithered in deeper, clogging the back with darkness. Had the light lasted a moment longer, one would have seen them creeping and crawling along the walls, snickering and as they edged closer and closer towards the back.

Thunder cried loudly from above, shaking the ground beneath where the reindeer stood, jolting it from its trance. It shrieked at the sight of the drowned man making its way up the path. His clothes stuck to his skin, his footsteps made pathetic little sounds against the hard rock. Upon realizing who it was, the reindeer frowned.

"I tried all that I could," it said, eyebrows furrowing with disappointment.

"I know."

"I could only make it last for so long."

"I know."

"The rain will let up in a minute."

"That's fine."

The reindeer hesitated. "Could you…could you reach her?"

"No, they pushed me away."

"How close were you?"

"I had her for a second, she heard me, but her mind was under too much stress."

"I tried to hold them back," it defended. "But you know how they are."

"So young. Too much mischief," the man nodded.

The reindeer sighed. "Yet, so powerful."

"Distract them next time. Send them somewhere. Anywhere."

"I'll try."

The man sighed, straw hat drooping over his eyes as he lowered his head. His hair was drenched. The droplets dripping down his face caught at the scar under his eye. He rubbed at it when something flashed in the corner of his eye. His eyes flickered to the shadows and glared.

"Get out."

Almost like children caught hiding, the shadows jump up and raced through the mouth of the cave, their laughter echoing above the thunder. The forest shuddered, as if a shiver ran down its spine.

Left in its absence, the cave blossomed. The edges softened, the atmosphere lightened, a burden suddenly lifted, and it sighed contentedly. It was home. It was warm.

As it should be.

* * *

so, um. it's been a while. again. welp. i had this chapter written for a year now. problem is i'm not as interested in one piece as i used to be...so i don't really know if i'll ever actually update this fic again. but. i figured why not.

if anyone is really that curious about the plot just ask and i'll summarize whatever was gonna happen


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